John Baer

STAFF COLUMNIST

John Baer has written about politics and government for the Daily News since 1987. Neither subject ever fails to provide him with stories of policies and politicians walking on or skirting by paths to perdition.

Former Guv and current Daily News sports columnist (among many other things) Ed Rendell may be out of office but he isn't out of voice.

His Edness, also a former Dem National Committee chairman, held a phone "news" conference with the media yesterday to "comment" on Mitt Romney's visit to Allentown and trash the presumed GOP Obama opponent's "failed economic record."

Soon after the DNC announced the call, the Romney campaign issued a press release detailing how Rendell worked against Obama in Pennsylvania in `08 while supporting Hillary Clinton and how Ed often (and recently) praised Romney as a "good governor" and "competent" and tough to beat.

I can add that way back in `07, Rendell said all candidates in both parties then running or thinking of running for president were flawed "with the possible exception of Gov. Romney, who I have a huge regard for."

As I've pointed out in the past, Ed says a lot of things.

(He even appeared in the Washington Post crossword puzzle yesterday: the clue for 25 across was "Pols Koch and Rendell" and the answer, of course, was Eds.)

Meanwhile, Philly Democrats in the legislature may be out of power but they're not out of comments. Several issued press releases complaining about the new state budget, which every House Democrat voted against.

But the winning release, in my view, came from Montco Rep. Larry Curry who said Corbett and the GOP brought "shark week" to the state by launching "a great white shark attack on seniors, using citizens as chum for their friends in big business."

Curry is among those arguing that state cuts in education will lead to local property tax hikes by school districts, which will hit home-owning seniors on fixed incomes at the same time business interests, especially natural gas drillers, get tax breaks.

All this proves two things: Ed is NEVER going away; and while the majority will have its way, the minority can still have its say.